This invention relates to a molding apparatus for molding articles such as patties from moldable material such as ground raw meat. In the above application there is disclosed a typical apparatus in which a pressurizing ram is reciprocated in a chamber for pressurizing the meat in this chamber and forcing it into one or more mold openings. Meat is fed into the chamber by transfer means such as at least one rotary auger that feed meat from a hopper into the chamber from which it is forced by the ram into the mold opening.
It has been discovered that if the meat is a ground beef mix that is all fresh beef with a high fat content such as about 25% and is relatively warm such as at a temperature of about 45.degree. F. the reciprocating ram in the pressure chamber tends to overwork the meat thereby causing fat separation and lumps of fat which eventually appear in the final patty. These lumps are not only unsightly but generally degrade the patties as to cooking ability, flavor and texture. A study indicated that this problem was particularly acute when the machine was operated at high speed as the first withdrawal of the ram preparatory to making a new forward pressure stroke tends to create a partial vacuum in the pressure chamber so that more meat than is required to form the patty was introduced into the pressure chamber. Of this excess amount of meat the following forward or pressurized portion of the ram stroke moves this portion of meat, which was larger than required to form the patty or patties, back into the hopper so that on every stroke excess meat was forced back and forth between the hopper and the pressure chamber so that the relatively warm meat quickly became overworked with the above separation of fat and degrading of meat.